Community spirit was on full display on the Pukeatotara of the track in late May, when 55 volunteers — including a busload of Year 7 and 8 students from Oromahoe School — gathered to plant native trees along the trail. Working bees like this are made possible by the contributions of registered Te Araroa walkers, which help fund the ongoing care of tracks like this one.
Organised by the Northland Te Araroa Trust, the two-day working bee on 28 and 29 May combined tree planting with track maintenance. Plants were collected from the Shade House and, with the paddocks too soft to drive over, carried in by bucket to the planting site. Volunteers then made their way along the track, working in stations to plant hundreds of native seedlings, before rewarding themselves with lunch beside a waterfall.
The following day, the core track team returned to complete edging work, use up remaining track metal, bench sections of track, clear gorse from the fence line, and stake larger trees more securely — work that will continue on future visits.
For some of the young volunteers, it was a first taste of hands-on conservation work — and a memorable one. Year 7/8 student Rae Lucas from Oromahoe School captured the day in a piece of writing for the school newsletter:
“On the 28th of May, the Year 7 and 8 students from Oromahoe School, along with several community groups and homeschool students, went to Puketi Forest to help plant native trees. The goal was to plant around 500 trees, although I’m not sure if we did.”
Rae didn’t hold back on just how tough the terrain was:
“To get to where we planted the trees, we had to walk along a long, muddy track that was slippery and steep in places. The walk really hard, and I slipped over more than once. I lost count after 2! Each of us carried a native plant as we made our way along the track until we reached a station.”
The hard work left its mark:
“By the time I arrived at my station, I was exhausted. My arms ached from carrying plants, my back was sore, and I was sweating. Once we started, I spent a lot of time walking back and forth between stations, collecting plants and delivering them to the other station. Each planting group was expected to plant ten trees, so there was plenty of work to do.”
But the effort paid off, with a well-earned reward at the end of the day:
“After all the trees had been planted, we headed to a waterfall for lunch. The walk was worth it because the waterfall was stunning. The entire trip lasted about five hours. Although it was tiring, it felt good to know that we had helped restore a native forest. By the time I got home, I was completely worn out and ready for a good night’s sleep.”
A huge thank you to everyone who turned out to plant, dig, carry and stake — from the Oromahoe School students and homeschool families to the wider community groups and the dedicated track team who keep coming back to look after this part of the trail. And thank you, too, to our registered walkers, whose support makes this kind of trail restoration possible. Thanks to volunteers and walkers, the Puketotara Track is looking better than ever, with a growing variety of native plants taking root along its length.
This effort, will help create a canopy that reduces weeds, provides shade for walkers, and minimizes the need for weed spraying. A win, win for nature, walkers and the trail!
